Trees & Codes

Our tree protection requirements vary based on the size (tree tier), species, whether there is construction occurring or proposed on the lot, and the zoning of the property. Certain trees are protected and may not be removed unless specific requirements are met. If you unlawfully remove a tree, the penalties can be expensive.  

Additional requirements may apply within environmentally critical areas (ECAs) and the Shoreline District. Tree removal within the Shoreline District is evaluated through a Shoreline Exemption record. You can find out whether or not your property contains an environmentally critical area or is located within the Shoreline District on our GIS map.  

While tree removal is generally prohibited when no development is proposed, the tree protection regulations have a number of exemptions and allowances for tree removal. Please note, in most cases even if tree removal is allowed, requirements for SDCI review, tree replacement, SDCI’s Tree Service Provider Registry, and tree public noticing still apply. If you are planning a construction project and your site contains large trees, please contact SDCI early to understand the protection requirements or opportunities for removal if certain conditions exist on your lot. 

There are a series of Tips related to Seattle’s tree regulations that provide more detailed information and guidance about specific regulations for property owners and tree service providers. So far these include:

• Tip 103, Site Plan Requirements
• Tip 242A, Tree Requirements Associated with Development
• Tip 242B, Hazard Tree Removal on Private Property
• Tip 242C, SDCI Tree Service Provider Registry
• Tip 242D, Tree Public Notice
• Tip 331B, Hazard Trees, provides guidance for removal of a hazard tree on private property that is in a mapped environmentally critical area  

In addition, you should also be familiar with any associated Director’s Rules that support the Tree codes. So far these include:

• Director’s Rule 7-2023, Designation of Tier 2 Trees
• Director’s Rule 8-2023, Payment in lieu of tree replacement pursuant to Tree Protection Code
• Director’s Rule 10-2023, Administration of the SDCI Tree Service Provider Registry 
• Director's Rule 17-2018, Calculating Tree Valuations & Civil Penalties for Tree Protection Code Violations

Tree Service Provider Registry

The Tree Service Provider Registry is an online database of registered tree service providers that meet the City’s criteria to conduct commercial tree work in Seattle and are committed to understanding and following Seattle’s tree regulations. To see the list of approved Tree Service Providers, please visit the SDCI Tree Service Provider Directory.

All tree service providers doing the following type of commercial work defined in SMC 25.11.130 in Seattle in exchange for financial compensation must be registered with the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI):

• Reportable work includes:
  • The removal of live branches 4 inches in diameter or greater
  • Pruning, or the removal of live roots 2 inches in diameter or greater
  • Removal of live branches constituting 25 percent or more of a tree’s foliage-bearing area
  • Pruning of trees cultivated for fruit production and maintenance of hedges is not reportable work 
• Removal of any Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, or Tier 4 tree
• Consulting Services: The assessment of the health or hazard risk of any Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, or Tier 4 tree (trees 6 inches DSH or greater) 

Property owners who use a commercial tree service provider for commercial tree work must use a registered tree service provider from this registry. The registered tree service provider will create a public notice that is posted to the SDCI website at least three full business days before any reportable work is done or six full business days prior to any tree removal work and post this notice on-site while the work is occurring. Providers are encouraged to keep the posting on-site for five days afterwards. Tree service providers who are not registered with SDCI cannot do commercial tree work in Seattle and may face penalties if they conduct work in Seattle without an approved registration. The tree service registry was established on August 26, 2022.

Please note that you do not need to be registered to complete other routine pruning and maintenance on trees.

Register Your Business

Tree Service Providers can register for SDCI’s Tree Service Provider Registry on the Seattle Services Portal Tree webpage. It will take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete the Registry application. If you have questions regarding the registration process, please consult the step-by-step instructions on How To Apply for the Tree Service Provider Registry. For further assistance, email us at sdci-trees@seattle.gov or contact us through our Submit a Request form. To help route your request, indicate that you need help with “Permits, codes, zones, plans,” then select “Land Use” as the type of help you need, and then select “Trees” in the description field. Customers may also contact us at (206) 233-5185 if you have questions and/or need interpretation services (please be prepared to share your preferred language to help us locate the appropriate support). 

Please note that you must maintain your registration requirements in good standing for the duration of your 1-year registry term.

Once registered, Tree Service Providers must display on their commercial vehicles their SDCI tree service provider registration number, the name of the tree service provider business, and either a phone or email address. This information must be clearly displayed on the sides and rear of the commercial vehicle in at least 2-inch tall letters.

What You’ll Need to Register Your Business

• An active Seattle Services Portal account.
• A current and valid City of Seattle business license. You will be asked to upload a copy of your business license.
• A current and valid Washington State contractor registration under chapter 18.27 RCW (not required for businesses registering as consulting services only).
• A current certificate of insurance (COI) with coverage of at least $1,000,000 Commercial General Liability Insurance and endorsement naming the City of Seattle as an additional insured on a primary and non-contributory basis for government permitting. The address listed on the COI should be as follows:

  
  City of Seattle
  P.O. Box. 94669
  Seattle, WA 98124-4669

  You will be asked to upload a copy of the certificate and the endorsement.
  
  
• At least one employee or a person on retainer who is a currently credentialed International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certified arborist trained to conduct work according to American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Standard A-300 or its successor standard. You will be asked to upload a copy of the ISA Certification Card for each credentialed holder listed on your registry form. The card must include the credential holder’s name, certification number, and expiration date.
• An understanding of City codes applicable to commercial tree work.

Know the Code

All Tree Service Providers must follow the tree code (SMC 25.11). Tree Service Providers who do not follow the tree code may be removed from the Tree Service Provider Registry for one year. Both the property owners and the tree service providers may face financial penalties for tree code violations. Contact SDCI arborists early in the design process for assistance in balancing tree protection and development.  

Please also consult Tip 242C, SDCI Tree Service Provider Registry for more information.

Important note: the SDCI tree service provider registry covers work on private property and is different from the SDOT tree service provider registry that regulates work that occurs in the public right-of-way. You must register on each one separately; links to each may be found on the Seattle Services Portal Tree webpage.

Tree Service Provider & Public Notice Webinar Recording (November 2022)

Watch the recording of the SDCI webinar presented to tree service providers and property owners about Seattle’s tree code (SMC 25.11), the new SDCI public posting requirements, and SDCI’s new Tree Service Provider Registry. You'll also find information about how to sign up for the Tree Service Provider Registry.

Tree Service Provider Registry Summary Flyer (August 2022)

• New Tree Service Provider Registry Now Available
• Ya está disponible el nuevo registro de proveedores de servicios de arboricultura
• 新的樹木服務供應商的註冊名錄現已可用
• Danh Sách Mới Của Nhà Cung Cấp Dịch Vụ Chăm Sóc Bảo Dưỡng Cây Xanh Được Chấp Thuận Nay Đã Có Sẵn
  

Tree Service Provider Requirements Summary Flyer (July 2022)

• New Tree Service Provider Requirements Coming Soon!
• ¡Próximamente nuevos requisitos para los proveedores de servicio de árboles!
• 新的樹木服務供應商條件即將實施！
• Sắp Có Yêu Cầu Mới Cho Các Nhà Cung Cấp Dịch Vụ Cây Xanh!
• Shuruudaha cusub ee Bixiyaha Adeegga Geedka oo dhawaan imanaya!
• አዲስ የዛፍ አገልግሎት አቅራቢ መስፈርቶች በቅርቡ ይመጣሉ!
• 새로운 나무 서비스 제공 업체 요구 사항이 곧 발표될 예정입니다!
• Mga Bagong Kinakailangan ng Tagapagbigay ng Serbisyo Pangpuno Paparating Na!

Whether or not a permit or SDCI review is required, the Tree Service Provider must create and submit a tree public notice that is posted to the SDCI website at least 3 full business days prior to the start of any reportable work and 6 full business days prior to the start of removal of any tree 6 inches DSH or greater. The tree public notice is only required to be physically posted at the site during the time that commercial tree work is occurring and should remain in place for five days after the work is completed. A tree public notice is not required for consulting services.

This notice is also required for trees removed as part of a tree and vegetation plan inside of environmentally critical areas or removal of hazardous trees. This notice is not required for trees removed by the owner of a property. SDCI authorization may be needed prior to work on those trees.

Follow guidance in Tip 242D, Tree Public Notice for more information on tree public noticing.

Create Your Public Notice
When you hire a Tree Service Provider, the provider is required to create a public notice that is posted on SDCI’s website three full business days before conducting reportable work and six full business days prior to removal of any Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, or Tier 4 tree. You can create the public notice through the Seattle Services Portal Trees webpage. This form takes approximately 5 minutes and walks you through the steps required to create the SDCI Tree Public Notice. Once created, the notice is automatically posted to SDCI’s website. Tree service providers are responsible for accurately noticing the proposed tree work. SDCI does not review or approve tree public notices. Each address requires a separate tree public notice.

Once you’ve submitted the information, you will receive an email containing a link to the public notice; the Tree Service Provider is responsible for printing and posting the public notice at the site during the time that commercial tree work is occurring. The notice should remain in place for five days after the work is completed.

Tree Service Providers must also display on their commercial vehicles their SDCI tree service provider registration number, the name of the tree service provider business, and either a phone or email address. This information must be clearly displayed on the sides and rear of the commercial vehicle in at least 2-inch tall letters.

If you have questions regarding completing the notice form, please follow the step-by-step instructions in our Tree Public Notice help article. For further assistance, you may email us at sdci-trees@seattle.gov or contact us through our Submit a Request form.

To help route your request, indicate that you need help with “Permits, codes, zones, plans,” then select “Land Use” as the type of help you need, and then select “Trees” in the description field.  

What You’ll Need to Create a Tree Public Notice

• An active Seattle Services Portal account.
• Work must be performed by a SDCI registered tree service provider. You will need to provide the full registration number (LIC-TSP-#####), which is available on the SDCI registered Tree Service Provider Directory.
• A permit may be required for tree work associated with a project, such as a construction or demolition project. If tree work is part of your proposal, you will need to provide the permit number. (Note: a separate notice is needed for each address.)
• Tree-specific information, including species, type of work to be performed, trunk size at diameter standard height (DSH), location, and if the tree is designated as an exceptional tree.

Know the Code 

All Tree Service Providers must follow the tree code (SMC 25.11). Tree Service Providers who do not follow the tree code may be removed from the Tree Service Provider Registry for one year. Both the property owners and the tree service providers may face financial penalties for tree code violations. Contact SDCI arborists early in the design process for assistance in balancing tree protection and development.   

 Please consult SDCI Tip 242D, Tree Public Notice for more information. 

We encourage all applicants, property owners, contractors, architects, developers, and arborists to reach out to us with any tree questions as early as possible when planning a project. We are here to answer questions early in the design process to determine which trees are protected by code and how to accommodate them. We can also answer questions about trees outside of the development process. Our on-staff certified arborists can answer questions about tree protection requirements, be a resource for tree-related information, and improve customer experience when trees are involved in any permit process.

Contact Us

The best way to contact our staff is via email at sdci-trees@seattle.gov or through SDCI’s Submit a Request form. To help route your request, indicate that you need help with “Permits, codes, zones, plans,” then select “Land Use” as the type of help you need, and then select “Trees” in the description field. If necessary, we can set up a virtual meeting to discuss potential or actual projects.

Customers may also contact us at (206) 233-5185 if you have questions and/or need interpretation services (please be prepared to share your preferred language to help us locate the appropriate support).

Meet Our Arborists! 

Paul Humphries has worked for the City of Seattle for 20 years and joined SDCI in September 2020. He is an ISA certified Arborist and Tree Risk Assessor, who is passionate about maintaining urban canopy and applying code to protect our beautiful city’s trees. Paul’s favorite tree is the Antarctic Beech. When he’s not at work, he can be found in the mountains hiking with his wife and their Great Dane or working in his garden.

Deborah McGarry started her career in urban forestry in New York in 2000 and never looked back. She has been with the City of Seattle for 15 years, working on street trees, park trees, and, for the past 3 years, private property trees with SDCI. She fervently believes that we need trees to keep our city livable and that dense cities and healthy trees are compatible. When not working, she loves adventures with her husband, 6-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son, exploring nature, gardening, and reading.